Drug companies will kill you, one way or the other!

When I was younger I didn’t know anything about medications and I don’t think too many other people did either. When you went to the doctor he/she gave you some medicine, which you hoped would take care of what ailed you. Most likely you didn’t even know the names of the medications and didn’t worry about the side effects.

Every day we are bombarded by ads for medications…

All of this has changed in the past few years with drug companies advertising their products in all media outlets, especially print media and television. Every day we are bombarded by ads for medications for conditions including hay fever, ED, bronchitis, COPD, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and a myriad of other diseases. I think these commercials go right over the heads of most viewers, unless they are suffering with one of these conditions. So basically they are ignored by most of us. But what about those people who have a specific disease and may benefit from taking one of these advertised drugs?

you could be helped by these wonder drugs

The commercials always show patients, who are supposedly taking the medications, as happy go lucky, smiling, sociable and without exhibiting any signs of pain or discomfort. The announcer suggests that you could be helped by these wonder drugs and tells you to ask your doctor about them. Then after you are told how wonderful the drugs are the announcer goes on to warn you of the possible and myriad side effects. These warnings include the possibility of stroke, heart attack, blindness and my favorite, “even death”. The announcer even warns you not to take the medication if you are allergic to it. How in hell are you going to know if you are allergic to it unless you know the patented scientific name of the ingredient or unless you give it a try to see what happens?

Medicare and other government health plan recipients are not eligible!

I am particularly disgusted at the fact that everyone of these new drugs advertised are way beyond reach of the average person viewing the ads, especially senior citizens on fixed incomes. I can just imagine someone on Medicare seeing that a new medication could allow them to live an almost normal life with their COPD and anxiously asking their doctor if they could be prescribed the wonderful drug. Their anxiety would suddenly turn into depression after discovering that their insurance company will not cover the cost and the out-of-pocket cost would be $500 or $600! Sure, at the end of the ad the drug company makes a statement saying that if you can’t afford the cost of the drug you may be able to pay $5 or $10 a month for the drug. Then at the very end of the add you find out that Medicare and other government health plan recipients are not eligible! Nothing like punishing the poor by denying life saving medications!

occasionally I let my curiosity get the best of me…

Since I have searched for medication and supplements that could help with my asthma/COPD symptoms I am naturally targeted when I am on the Internet using Facebook or other sites. Everyday I see at least 5 ads touting the benefits of a new drug or the latest advancement in the treatment on asthma or COPD. Most of the time I ignore them, but occasionally I let my curiosity get the best of me and open the ads. Not once have these ads offered any new hope or new information that would be a benefit to anyone with asthma or any other respiratory disease. They usually are trying to sell a form of quackery or redirecting the reader to some other site offering a miracle cure.

Now that should make you sick!

A few years ago I wrote a post on my blog about the high cost of drugs in this country, I’ve Been Ripped Off by the Big Drug Companies, which leads me to make a point on that high cost in this article. Drug advertising is extremely expensive on TV, the Internet and in magazines. Since most people who see these ads either don’t know anything about the drugs and also probably can’t afford them why are there so many of them and who are they targeting? I cannot figure that one out! So who’s paying for this expensive advertising? We are, through increased cost of the drugs we buy! Every time you see one of these ads, just remember that even though you aren’t suffering from that particular disease, you are paying for that ad when you buy any medication! Now that should make you sick!